Tayrona National Park is located between Palomino and Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and is a real paradise for nature lovers. The park attracts visitors with its rich biodiversity, breathtaking landscapes and archaeological treasures. Various hiking trails lead to pre-Columbian ruins or offer the opportunity to discover the impressive flora and fauna and beautiful bays invite you to swim.
Highlights & activities in Tayrona National Park
There are a variety of activities to spend your time doing in Tayrona National Park. Hikes through the park’s impressive flora and fauna are particularly popular. The trails lead to pristine beaches, hidden lagoons and impressive viewpoints. For history buffs, a visit to the pre-Columbian ruins is an absolute must. If you want to take it easy, you can relax on the paradisiacal beaches, swim in the warm sea or explore the fascinating underwater world while snorkeling. If you prefer, you can also explore the Tayrona National Park over several days and spend the night at one of the campsites or in a hut.
Hike in Tayrona National Park
The easiest and almost only way to get around the Tayrona National Park is on foot. The park’s beaches can be reached via the marked hiking trails or by boat. An overview of the signposted hiking trails is available at the park entrance.
The hiking trails are easy to find and you can’t really get lost. The only important thing is to keep an eye on the time and make your way back in good time if you are not staying overnight in the park.
If you start at the El Zaino park entrance, it is best to take a shuttle that takes you further into the park. This saves you an approximately one-hour walk along a paved road and you can start directly on the beautiful hiking trail. From the starting point of the hiking trail to the famous Cabo San Juan del Gia beach, it takes around 2 hours on foot.
Beaches in Tayrona National Park
The beaches are definitely one of the highlights of Tayrona National Park. However, you can only swim at very few of the beaches and bays, as there are very strong currents and some have already lost their lives. However, it is very clearly marked and posted whether and where you are allowed to swim and where not.
One of the first beaches you reach is Arrecifes beach, which you can see from the hiking trail. Unfortunately, it is closed off and swimming is also prohibited here due to the strong currents. If you continue walking from Playa Arrecifes, you will reach Punta las Gaviotas. Here, a small inlet divides the somewhat quieter bay from a long sandy beach. As far as I know, swimming is officially prohibited here too, but some people have jumped into the cool water here. There is also a small restaurant here and a few food stalls with refreshments. The perfect place for a first break.
La Piscina
The first beach where you can finally go swimming officially is La Piscina. Here you can finally cool off after a hike of around 1.5 hours.
As the real highlight of Cabo San Juan is still to come, I am only on my way back into the water at La Piscina beach to reach the famous beach as early as possible with as few people as possible.
Cabo San Juan
Only another 20 minutes from La Piscina is the most famous and most beautiful beach in the Tayrona National Park, Cabo San Juan. The beach consists of two bays where you can enjoy a wonderful swim and which are separated by a small headland. There is a viewpoint on the headland from where you have a great view of the two beaches from above.
If you want to enjoy the beauty of Cabo San Juan beach for yourself, you should stay overnight at the local campsite so that you can enjoy the beach in the evening and early morning hours without daytime tourists.
If you follow the hiking trail from Cabo San Juan beach for another 5 minutes, you will reach Punta Piedra beach. As most visitors stay at Cabo San Juan, the beach here was virtually empty and without visitors. However, the current here is very strong and therefore not suitable for swimming.
El Pueblito
The village of El Pueblito is located amidst the lush vegetation of the Tayrona National Park. This is a priceless legacy of the Tayrona Indians, one of Colombia’s four indigenous groups, and is still of great importance to their descendants today.
From Cabo San Juan beach it is another 2 hours to the Calabazo entrance.
Important information & helpful tips:
Entrance
There are two entrances to the Tayrona National Park: El Zaino and Calabazo. If you mainly want to go to the beaches, then I recommend taking the El Zaino park entrance. If you take the minibus shuttle from there, you can reach the first beaches and bays after a one-hour hike.
If you want to get away from the crowds and visit the village of El Pueblito, we recommend starting at the Calabazo entrance.
- Minibus costs: 5,000 COP (~1.20€)
Opening hours
The Tayrona National Park is usually open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. I was already there at 7.30 am and was not the first. My aim was to get to the park as early as possible to have as much time as possible to make the day stress-free with enough time for swimming stops.
Note: twice a year the Tayrona National Park closes to visitors for several weeks. On the one hand to give nature time to regenerate, on the other hand to give the indigenous tribes the opportunity to celebrate certain holidays and rites at their sacred sites. In recent years, the park has usually been closed at the following times: Early — mid February, early — mid June, mid October — early November.
Find out in good time before your planned visit whether the park is open or not.
Admission prices and tickets
If you read older blogs about Tayrona National Park, there used to be an option to buy tickets online in advance. When I visited the park in March 2023 , this was not the case and tickets could only be bought in advance at the park entrances.
The insurance must be taken out/purchased on site. This is to ensure that the costs of rescue/recovery are covered in the event of an accident or similar.
- Admission: 62,000 COP (~14.20€); as of 03/23
- Insurance: 6,000 COP (~1.40€); as of 03/23
What do I need to take with me for a day trip?
You should definitely take enough water with you for a day trip . Due to the high humidity, you sweat very quickly, even if the hike itself is not particularly strenuous. And yes, you can buy water at individual beaches in the park, but of course at completely exorbitant prices. The same applies to food.
Furthermore, swimwear should of course not be missing, i.e. a bikini/swimming trunks and a towel. Sunscreen and mosquito spray are also absolutely essential.
Day trip or overnight stay?
There are various options for spending the night in Tayrona National Park. There are campsites with tents, hammocks, simple huts and a few more luxurious accommodations . Just try to book as early as possible to make sure you have a place to sleep.
If you want to spend more time in the park and really explore everything, you should stay overnight in the park. For those who mainly come for the beaches, the day trip should be sufficient.
Journey to Tayrona National Park
By bus
No matter where you are coming from, there are regular buses to/from Tayrona National Park. In Santa Marta , the buses depart regularly from the Mercado Publico and take around 1 hour to reach the park entrance El Zaino. If you are coming from Palomino, there are also regular buses to Tayrona. The journey also takes around 1 hour.
Private shuttle
Many accommodations in Santa Marta and Palomino also organize private drivers or a private shuttle to Tayrona National Park. This can be useful if you are several people and want to share the costs and be more flexible in terms of time.
Moto-Taxi
If you are staying very close to the entrance to Tayrona National Park, like me for example at Costeno Beach, there is also the option of hiring a moto-taxi from your accommodation to take you to Tayrona National Park. The cost is around COP 15,000 from Costeno Beach.
Best time to visit Tayrona National Park
In principle, the park is accessible all year round, but there are times that are particularly suitable. The dry seasons between December to March and July to August are considered the best time to visit. During this time, the paths are less slippery and there is less chance of constant rain showers. However, it should be noted that the park is usually closed for ecological recreation in February. So if you are planning to travel to the park, you should check the exact dates in advance to ensure that the park is open during your planned travel time.
Is the Tayrona National Park worth it? My conclusion:
There is no doubt that Tayrona National Park is a beautiful place, with its great hiking trails and historic ruins. It is not for nothing that the park is an integral part of almost every tour of Colombia.
Nevertheless, I can’t quite understand the immense hype. As I said, the park is beautiful, the hiking trails are great, the beaches and nature are impressive, but I can’t say that I was completely blown away by Tayrona National Park. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful day trip and a great day in the park, but I wouldn’t make it the central part of a round trip, but rather see it as a small highlight on the trip that you take with you.
Ultimately, however, the satisfaction of each traveler depends of course on individual preferences and expectations. Tayrona National Park offers a beautiful experience, but is less spectacular than some of the other destinations I have experienced on my travels. I was much more impressed by the beaches on Providencia or the untouched nature on the way to Ciudad Perdida. Nevertheless, it is worth a trip to get to know a piece of Colombia’s breathtaking nature and culture.
